By Blessing Nweke

President Donald Trump’s sweeping overhaul of US refugee policies has dramatically reshaped who is being admitted into the country, with new government data revealing a striking concentration of arrivals from South Africa.

Since October 2025, just 4,499 refugees have been resettled in the United States, according to the Refugee Processing Center. All but three — who were from Afghanistan — were South African. The figures mark a stark contrast to the final full fiscal year under former President Joe Biden, when about 125,000 refugees from 85 countries were admitted.

Trump had previously halted refugee admissions entirely, including for applicants fleeing war zones, before introducing a policy that prioritised Afrikaners, a white minority group he argued faced persecution. The South African government has strongly rejected those claims.

In defending the policy shift, Trump said it would bolster national security and public safety, while prioritising “victims of illegal or unjust discrimination.” The move has further strained relations between Washington and Pretoria, which have deteriorated since Trump’s return to office.

Tensions escalated after South Africa’s ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, was expelled following accusations that Trump was promoting “white victimhood.” A subsequent Oval Office meeting between Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa also turned confrontational, with Trump alleging that white farmers were victims of “genocide” — claims widely disputed.

John Steenhuisen, a key political figure in South Africa’s coalition government, countered that most farmers wanted to remain and build the country.

South Africa has since criticised the US policy as lacking credible evidence, with even prominent Afrikaners denouncing the narrative as misleading and divisive.